The MetroSpiritual: Palm reading can provide both insight and foresight

Palm reading has been used as a method for reading people’s personalities and potential for thousands of years. (serezniy/Getty Images/iStockphoto)

There is something exciting and even fascinating about the possibility of knowing our future. Hints about what it may hold can easily fuel our thoughts with a plethora of curiosity.

While many methods used for telling the future is often a bunch of hooey, palm reading has been used as a method for reading people's personalities and potential for thousands of years. There are even certain unusual lines and markings that means you are meant to accomplish great things in life. Who knew?

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Imagine if we could tell a friend from a foe before giving our trust by simply looking at the lines in their palms. It would certainly save us some frustration.

Or if we could get the inside scoop on our own potential and how well we are actually living up to it?

According to palmistry, a.k.a. chiromancy, we can. Intrigued, I decided to explore the depths of these palm lines and what I discovered is thought-provoking, to say the least.

Let's start with the past. The history of palmistry is checkered with stories of triumph and oppression. It was used in ancient Egypt, Greece, Babylon, China, Persia, Sumer, India and Tibet. It was a widely accepted practice throughout Europe until King Henry VII and the Catholic Church banned it and labeled it as devil worship during the Middle Ages.

In the ancient teachings of Kabbalah, when our soul enters our body our true nature is imprinted in the face and hands. Many ancient texts confirm that Moses used this method to determine who was worthy of learning the Torah's secrets.

Palm lines, along with facial lines, were used as a guide to "who you are" and "what you are meant to accomplish in this life." It was forbidden to use these methods for anything other than a guide for someone's character and/or potential.

Many historians claim that Julius Caesar used palm readings in order to judge his men's intentions and see if they were imposters or faithful followers.

Even Aristotle, in his work "'De Historia Animalium," spoke about the meaning of the lines on one's hands. It is said he sent Alexander the Great, a student of his at the time, to India to learn more about palmistry.

So how does it work and what do the different lines mean? Most ancient texts agree that your left hand shows the potential you were born with and your personality traits inherent to you. Your right hand says what you have done with your potential thus far. Modern palm readers typically use the non-dominant hand for readings.

While palmistry is broad and complex (it includes lines on the fingers and mounds on the hands, with even the size of one's hands and length of the fingers having different meanings), there are four main lines: heart, head, fate and life.

The heart line is the top line on your palm and usually runs from your middle or index finger to your pinky. If the line starts from your index finger it means you are happy with your love life. But if it starts under your middle finger it means you might be more selfish when it comes to matters of the heart. If true, it seems like a good tool for single people such as myself to use.

If it falls in between the two fingers, it means you give your heart away too easily.

A straight and short line means you are not that interested in romance. If it goes all the way across your hand it means you bottle up emotions.

A straight, long line means you have good control over your emotions. Lines very close to your fingers means you are passionate and sometimes jealous.

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An upward curved line means you are affectionate and emotional. A wavy line means you may have had many relationships, but none serious, while gaps or breaks in the line means you tend to get your heart broken.

The head line is the middle line on your palm, just below your heart line. If that line is not very long it means you are more physically inclined, while a straight, long line means you think more logically.

A curved line means you have a short attention span, and if the line is broken it means you can be indecisive. A line that curves down means you are creative and trusting.

The life line is below the heart line and starts at the edge of the palm and extends down towards the wrist.

A deep line indicates good health and great potential to reach your goals; a fainter line shows possible health concerns and less ambition.

If you have several lines here it means you are enthusiastic. If this line is broken, sudden life changes are in your future or were part of your past.

A curved line means you are strong and have lots of energy. If this line is close to your thumb you are often tired or lack ambition.

The fate line is found next to your life line; however, not everyone has one.

The deeper the line the stronger you feel drawn to your destiny. Breaks in this line means sudden circumstances often change your life's path. If this line connects to the middle of your life line, it means you will sacrifice for the sake of others.

If the line splits off from your life line, it means you are or will be self-made. If it starts closer to the wrist then you are meant to be in the public's eye.

Breaks in any of your main four lines represent dramatic changes. What type of change depends on which line has the break. If the break is closer to the outside of your palm, you might have an unexpected life journey.

If your break leans towards the base of your palm, day-to-day life is more difficult in that particular area.

By the fourth month in the womb, our fingerprints are fully developed, but the lines in our hands continuously change over time.

What if our destiny and where we are on our life's journey can all be told by examining our hands in detail? If our life maps are really encrypted on our hands then it might just be a path worth following.

Besides that, having a clue or two when it comes to figuring out others' true intentions can't hurt!

So the next time you meet someone new, see if you can get a peek at their hands.

Maija Polsley began having otherworldly experiences at a young age and began attending metaphysics classes with her mother at age 12. She has since been dedicated to finding the truth and has not stopped exploring. Co-producer of the ghost investigation web series "Paranormal Pursuit" and founder of TheMetroSpiritual.com, Maija is a natural-born, city-dwelling, soul-seeking, independent former teen mom and single woman who is also a dimensionally educated, spiritually empathic writer, actor, poet, standup comic, tarot card reader, Earth lover and quintessential MetroSpiritual.